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Added to my list of concerns is reaching Luang Prabang, Laos by Thanksgiving when it is still a day-and-a-half downriver. Traveling with me is my girlfriend Jo, and two of our friends from college, Inke and Seneca. We are following the jagged route of the Mekong River 110 miles from Chang Khong, Thailand, to the UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang. Looming limestone mountains rush by in the haze of our engine’s fumes as the Mekong swells menacingly beneath our leaky bow. Sinking my bare feet into the muddy riverbank will bring great relief. For the isolated hill tribes along its banks, the Mekong is less threatening and fulfills aspects of everyday life. Laotians use it as a trade route for supplies between villages, and on a larger scale between the Thai border, and the Lao capital of Vientiane. Though white-knuckled Westerners are usually the most lucrative cargo, anything from Coke cans to opium fill the bowels of these unassuming vessels. Sadly, the first is seen polluting the riverbanks, while the latter poisons even the youngest of Laos’ generations. The Golden Triangle's poppy products wind their way down the Mekong into the hands of village children who satisfy drug-hungry tourists and locals alike. Luang Prabang turns out to be worth the travel anxieties with its rustic Southeast Asian charm, World Heritage Buddhist wats, or temples, and waterfalls tumbling from mist enshrouded jungle peaks. Though the once French-occupied colony has recently become a staple on many backpacker itineraries, the local population retains its identity far more than neighboring Thailand’s hotspots. The French
influence from decades past remains apparent in the architecture and cuisine,
now intertwined with the Laotian culture. Just off the banks of the surging
Mekong, French colonial buildings of muted yellow and blue provide an oddly
European backdrop for unmistakably Asian ways. In street-side markets,
vendors peddle anything from hand-forged machetes to intricately woven
silks. Buddhist monks clothed in saffron robes and shaded by red umbrellas
quietly watch tourists curiously peering back at them.
Finding a place to eat is more difficult than we anticipate, but not for lack of choices. The lingering French-colonial influence and growing Westernization encourage Laotians to move away from local markets into the promise of the restaurant business. Some choose to serve only Western food and seem to suffer because of it. As we explore several appealing cafés, I am bothered by what we find. Though it is not the peak of tourist season, we are still surprised to discover one empty dining area after another on such a beautiful evening. Several times we are greeted with broad smiles from groups of bored hostesses and waiters who seem to pour out of the beautifully ornamented interiors. For one reason or another, after inspecting the menus we move on, leaving the hope-filled establishments as empty as before. Laotian families renovate the larger front sections of their homes, transforming them into restaurants in an attempt to draw tourists' money. I empathize with these people, trying so hard in their own homes to imitate foreign food and atmosphere for foreign customers, when that is what many of us are here to escape. Their valiant attempts only amount to serving the occasional Western dish to fickle tourists. I shudder when I realize we are playing the part. Realizing we’re not going to find a stuffed turkey, we return to an open-air Laotian café and the hostess greets us again with a smile as if she knew we’d come back. The seven of us sit around three bamboo tables, joined together on the porch at the edge of the interior’s warm glow. I open the first bottle of wine discovered earlier in one of the many pharmacy/souvenir shop/restaurants common to the area. Lost on the shelf for years among Asian Ibuprofen tablets, Laos t-shirts and 50’s-style Coke bottles I found the tannin-rich treasure abandoned by some unsuspecting French colonist--?-three bottles of French Bordeaux from 1993. Wine like this comes with a hefty price tag here, so I seized the opportunity and bought the lot for 70,000 kip ($9USD).
Once you’re there We stayed just outside of town at the comfortable and newly-renovated Ban Lao Guesthouse, near the corner of Thanon Bunkhong and Thanon Latsavong, Luang Prabang, (856-071) 252-078, where decent sized double rooms with mosquito nets run about $10-16USD a night, depending on size and private or shared bath. The hot showers and morning coffee are appreciated in this much cooler mountainous region. Bicycles are available for rent at the front desk and make for a pleasant way of seeing the area’s historic temples. Watch out for the manager’s grinning teenage son?he’s very persistent about sharing his rice wine. In the middle of the historic temple district is Pa Pai Guesthouse, north of Thanon Phothisalat opposite Wat Pa Pai, phone and fax (856-071) 212-752. Rooms in the historic French colonial house are cheap, divided by bamboo-thatched walls where doubles with shared baths are a mere $6USD. Though far from plush, the guesthouse is out on the peninsula that divides the Mekong from the Nam Khan River and daily life along the river makes for an intriguing walk after breakfast. Where to
eat
The Luang Prabang Bakery, also on Thanon Phothisalat, makes excellent European pastries ($.50-1.50USD), has egg sandwiches on baguettes, and carries an assortment of other tasty snacks at decent prices. For authentic Laotian cuisine, try Malee Lao Food, on Thanon Phu Wao, where the local Tom Ponh is an excellent choice. The creamy purée of eggplant and fish is poured over roast water buffalo or deer, topped with red chilies, green onion and mint ($2.50USD). To satisfy particular tastes, order the Laotian noodle soup ($1USD) and add an array of your own ingredients including chopped chilies and mint, cabbage, fish sauce and shrimp paste. What to
do
More than 60
Buddhist wats are spread throughout Luang Prabang and most are accessible
from the town center by foot. One of the more ornate temples is Wat Xieng
Thong, occupied by Laotian royalty until 1975, located just off Thanon
Khaem Khong near the northern tip of the peninsula.
**Food, lodging
and transportation costs vary in Laos according to the time of year, and
a steady rise in prices may have influenced some areas, while others may
have gone out of business.**
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